The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Resilience will host public tours of a newly completed tiny house named “Resilient House” 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday, Dec. 8 in front of City Hall, 68 Mitchell Street, Atlanta. The initiative, a partnership with Georgia nonprofit Tiny House Atlanta, will showcase the environmental and economic benefits of “living small.”
Resilient House will serve as a model of sustainable living featuring solar panels, a Tesla Powerwall (donated by Hannah Solar), a mini-split HVAC system (donated by Mitsubishi), renewable cypress siding and plywood interior, standing seam metal roofing with a 90-year life, (donated by MOPAC-Synergies), compostable toilet (donated by Air Head), low-e windows, and LED lighting.
“Small spaces are the next big thing,” said Tim Keane, Department of City Planning Commissioner. “The Department of City Planning is happy to support this growing trend, especially since it will make housing more affordable in urban settings.”
Atlanta has been active in the tiny house movement. Earlier this year, the Department of City Planning released its Tiny House Feasibility Study, the product of a working group that included internal and external partners such as Southface Energy Institute, Ryan Taylor Architects, Tiny House Atlanta and the American Tiny House Association.
This study offered recommendations to the City of Atlanta to aide in amending current zoning ordinances to allow for the building of tiny houses. Based on the recommendations of this study, the City passed legislation in May of this year allowing Accessory Dwelling Units in areas zoned for duplexes to be used as a residence or rental property. In addition, the State Department of Community Affairs recently enacted a change in city code to allow for residential dwellings of 400 square feet or less and reduce the minimum habitable room size from 120 square feet to 70 square feet.
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